Grudge over getting fired led ex-home tutor to kill Muntaha hours after abduction: Police
Prime murder suspect Marjia Aktar Sumi was also angry as the child’s parents had also accused her of stealing, police say
Marjia Aktar Sumi, who was Muntaha Aktar Jerin's home tutor, killed the six-year-old several hours after abducting her on the night of 3 November driven by her grudge over getting fired by the child's parents, police have said.
During preliminary interrogation, Sumi confessed that Muntaha was killed and buried in a dried-up small water body near Sumi's house at Birdal Bharaifoud village under Kanaighat union of Kanaighat upazila that night, said Sylhet's Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Ops) Md Rafiqul Islam today (10 November).
Citing family members, police said Sumi also possibly held a grudge as she was accused of stealing by the child's parents. However, police are yet to learn what she reportedly stole.
Sumi's mother Alifjan Bibi was her accomplice in killing and hiding Muntaha's body for eight days, said Kanaighat Police Station's Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Abdul Awal.
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He said Alifjan was caught red-handed while trying to dump the child's body in a pond located near the houses of the two families early today (10 November). The body of Muntaha, who went missing on 3 November, was recovered from the pond at around 4am.
Later in the afternoon, police handed over the child's body to her family after an autopsy at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital.
After Alifjan was caught by Munataha's family members, police detained Alifjan and her daughters Shumi and Kutubjan from their home for their involvement in the crime, said OC Awal.
Based on information provided by the trio, police then detained three more people, he said. Two of them have been identified as Nizam Uddin and Islam Uddin, while the third person is yet to be identified.
Police said they are also investigating to see whether anyone else was involved in the crime.
No case has been filed over the murder yet. Earlier, in a general diary lodged at Kanaighat Police Station, Muntaha's father Shamim Ahmed alleged that his daughter's abduction was a premeditated one.
Muntaha had been missing since 3 November, the day she went out in the afternoon to play with other children. As frantic searches throughout the area failed to trace her, the family took to social media seeking public help to find the child.
Very soon, netizens across social media joined the efforts to find her. A group of expatriates also announced a Tk1 lakh reward in their Facebook posts for anyone who can find the child and catch the kidnapper.
After Muntaha's body was recovered early today, Kanaighat police OC Awal said there was a rope tied around the child's neck and there were several wounds on her body.
"We detained Sumi last night on suspicion. She was talking inconsistently, which prompted us to tell Muntaha's family to keep a watch on Sumi's house and surrounding areas," he said.
At dawn, Muntaha's family members found Sumi's mother Alifjan excavating the girl's body from the nearby dried-up water body. As they and other locals gave her a chase, Alifjan dropped the body in the pond near their house right before she was caught, he said.
On information, police immediately reached the spot, recovered the body and detained Sumi, her mother and sister, added Awal.
Meanwhile, angry villagers set fire to Sumi's house soon after Muntaha's body was found. The child's family and locals have demanded exemplary punishment of Sumi and her family for the heinous crime.
